


What's Most Important is What Isn't Said

by Shubatra



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Bears being bears, F/M, Found Family, Gen, Honoring the past, New family members, Other characters are here but don't have dialogue, Pretty sappy (sorry about that), Slight misuse of D&D mechanics but who cares, Vox Machina and Associates as family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 09:28:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13478559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shubatra/pseuds/Shubatra
Summary: For much of his life, Percival de Rolo had given up any wishes of future happiness, or even a future at all. It had taken a long, long while to accept that hecouldhave a good life, a peaceful life, one full of laughter and love instead of vengeance and smoke. Even when his first children are born, it still seems unreal, until he looks into their faces.And then he has to introduce them to the rest of their family - one member in particular.





	What's Most Important is What Isn't Said

**Author's Note:**

  * For [glowingsunset](https://archiveofourown.org/users/glowingsunset/gifts).



> For my lovely Manda, the one who dragged me into this mess kicking and screaming, whom I still haven't forgiven. I hate you. <3

The light from the torches flickered over the walls, highlighting the shadows left in the mostly-smoothed stones and picking out the gilding on the ornaments and pictures hanging in precise places. Frames of silver and gold, vases of the smoothest marble, swords worth more than plenty of houses he'd seen... and yet in his eyes none of them could hold a candle to the treasures that were currently being washed, dried, and bundled up to be set in his arms.

"Vex..." he whispered, for once lost for words in light of the _miracle_ he'd been privileged to witness that day (and the entirety of the previous night). Exhausted, sweating, disheveled - for once Percival, Lord of Whitestone, _didn't care about any of that_ because coming towards where he was perched on the side of the grand bed next to his even more wrung-out wife were Keyleth and Pike, a small bundle of blankets held in each set of arms, undoubtedly tired but beaming smiles across both faces. " _Vex..._ "

"I want to... to see them." If the circumstances had been any different, the fatigue in Vex's voice and stamped heavily on her face would be worrying to everyone in the room, but after the last day no one expected differently of her at this point. Percy quickly moved to support her with an arm behind her back as he grabbed for a pillow to tuck behind her and prop her more or less upright comfortably, brushing damp strands of dark hair from her cheeks and eyes and tucking them behind the small points on her ears. Vex barely paid attention to his ministrations, arms raising to the women approaching her and her husband. "Kiki, please..."

The druid chuckled, almost a giggle, as she stepped to the side of the bed and placed the brown-wrapped bundle in her sister-in-law's grasp, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to Vex's forehead. "It's okay, we've got you. You’re all doing great."

"That's right," Pike's light voice chimed in, and somehow without him noticing she'd come up right next to Percy and was smiling up at him, beaming like a ray of sunshine personified as she presented him with an identical bundle, this one wrapped in light gray. "You came through this so well, Vex. Leave it to us to take care of the rest."

A hazy smile crossed Vex's face at the words of her friends and she sank back into the pillows against the headboard, eyes immediately drawn to the tiny face with the light crown of brown fuzz wrapped in the blanket in her arms. Percy likewise couldn't stop staring at a near-identical face in his own bundle: eyes closed so he couldn't see the color yet (though he would wager good money on a shade of brown), a slightly upturned nose that was relatively broad across the base, a tiny mouth opening and closing on the air, a faint dusting of hairs just showing at the edge of the blanket folds. His gaze darted to the other child Vex held against her breast and his detail-oriented eyes immediately spotted minute differences, from the barest shade darker of hair that couldn't really be called _hair_ yet to a slight upturn at the corner of the eyes. But in so many respects they looked so much the same, tiny and helpless and wonderful and _utterly perfect._

"Vex," he murmured, and a small part of his brain wondered if that was the only word he'd be able to say for the rest of the night, before some of the rest of his vocabulary caught up with him in the overwhelming explosion of _love_ that washed through him at seeing a tiny hand push free of brown swaddling, "they're... they're… exquisite, they're amazing, they..."

"I know," she whispered with a smile, tucking the straying hand back inside its blanket, "I know, darling." Turning to look at him, all the exhaustion was wiped away from her face in that moment as she smiled radiantly, tears at the corner of her eyes, and he felt his own tears of joy well up in response as he returned the smile, just as hopelessly inundated and smitten as her. Leaning forward, making sure to be careful of the baby, she stretched up to meet him as much as she could so he could kiss her deeply, happily, lovingly, pouring every fiber of his being into the kiss. He thought he heard a chuckle from the other side of the room, where the two healers were cleaning up, but he didn't look up to try and see.

When the kiss broke, moments and eons later, Percy leaned his forehead against Vex's as he gently transferred their son into her free arm, taking in the sight of her cradling both their children. Another wave of affection and awe strong enough to almost be impossible crashed over him, and all he could do was watch his little, now-expanded family helplessly while Vex cooed and murmured to the twins. "Vex..." he started, and her eyes shifted to him from their daughter's face, both arms secure around the babies. He could only stare at her helplessly for several moments, long enough for a shadow of concern to start to come over her features, before he could find the only words possible to express what he was feeling in that moment. "...Thank you. Thank you so much. Dearest, _thank you_ for this incredible gift you have given me."

Her smile would have warmed even the hardest of hearts, and when it came to her, his had always been soft as down, and he felt himself melting under her regard. "You gave them to me, too, darling," she said with a wink just on the proper side of saucy, and he couldn't help a snort of laughter escaping at that phrase. (Judging by the voice he heard echoing him, neither could Pike.) But the teasing faded quickly, Vex still just as happy and amazed at him over bringing new life into the world, the almost beatific smile reestablishing itself as she bent down to brush a soft kiss against both fragile crowns resting against her body. Both babies had turned toward her a little, likely seeking the heat as the evenings in mid-Spring in Whitestone could still be quite cool, and were nestled comfortably in the crooks of her elbows as they rested a little from the trauma of coming into the world. "But you still have some people to introduce them to. Do you remember what to do?"

Percy nodded, more hesitant than he was willing to let show, but he wasn't about to trouble Vex with his doubts at this moment, not when she needed her rest. "I think so. If I don't, Keyleth can help me."

"Of course I can! It'll be easy to-"

"Thank you, Keyleth, but no. Percy has to do this." Vex turned her gaze back up to him, still soft, but sharp around the edges. "It will mean more coming from you."

"Indeed it will." He left one more gentle kiss on her lips, then sighed a little as he pushed himself to his feet, taking the damp towel Pike held out to him and beginning to scrub the sweat and flecks of blood from his face and arms where his sleeves had been rolled up, then bending down to wipe his boots clean. There was likely no saving the shirt, but since he'd thrown all tradition out the window and insisted on helping with his wife's labor and delivery, likely no one would be surprised at slightly more than a little blood. Everyone waiting to see the new additions to the family had already seen him in much more dire straights, after all. "But I will admit it's nice to know I have a backup if I need a rescue."

"You won't." The easy confidence she had in him was heartening; he was too practical in many ways, leaning towards logic and pessimism, but when Vex expressed her faith in him he felt like he could touch the stars. "It's very simple, and you've practiced."

That was true, but it actually didn't bring much comfort, as said "practice" hadn't actually included him _using_ said spell, merely casting it and feeling the surge of magic through his body. He was very aware of the symbolism of performing it fully for the first time and knew it couldn’t be any time before this night - not to mention his own discomfort with the concept of “magic” in general had led him to hold back a little. Percy had never much been a fan of magic, a thing that was illogical and he couldn't measure - oh, yes, one could wave their hands and say specific words and that small ritual would always make a flame appear, but _how_ did that happen? How much arcane energy went into making the results of a spell? Where was it coming from? Did a caster control such an action, or did they merely direct it? Percy distrusted anything he couldn't take apart and put together again, anything that had to be accepted "because it always does that," and the vast majority of magic fell into that broad category. Even learning a few small spells thanks to the influence of Orthax and those abilities lingering in his brain even after the demon had been excised hadn't been able to change that opinion of his, no matter how much use he’d gotten from them afterwards. Because of his views on the subject, his own magic had become a tool used in certain circumstances because he would always use every option at his disposal when it was needed, but not something to be thought of elsewise. He hadn't had to cast Hex in years, and the only use he got out of Minor Illusion now was to make himself and Vex appear more or less clothed if a servant had the bad taste to walk in at an indiscreet moment.

Still, he supposed, there were certainly spells that were beneficiary, even if he couldn't understand them. He’d been the _subject_ of far too many magical energies to doubt that magic could do quite a lot of good, along with the ill, for him to still have even reluctant doubt. He'd likely get much more use out of the one Vex had insisted on teaching him than any of the few in his current arsenal. 

Straightening his glasses, and ignoring Keyleth's little giggle as he fussed over his appearance, Percy smiled at Vex and leaned forward to lift his children into his arms, being _extremely_ careful to keep them properly supported but not doing it very smoothly. Trying to take both at once was much more awkward than he'd expected and would definitely be something they needed to practice, but with a little bending and maneuvering around her arms, he managed to cradle them both in his to both their satisfaction, feeling his heart soar even as he stood to his full height with their slight weights in his hold. "And you're still happy with the names we decided on?"

"Oh, absolutely, dear," Vex responded, another smile passing over her face as she looked up at him and their children in his arms. "Their names are perfect."

He smiled in return, his cheeks hurting just a bit from how much he was doing that, but he easily ignored that as he met her gaze one last time. "Then I'll be back in a few minutes, after the horde has been satisfied."

A light chuckle came from the bed as he turned for the door, a matching laugh from Pike at his words, and Keyleth was there to open it for him with a grin on her face. Before she did, though, she threw her arms around him and the children to envelop them all in one of her characteristic giant hugs, though Percy noticed she was being much more careful than she usually was in deference to the fragile nature of newborns. "I'm so happy for you," she whispered, kissing his cheek before pulling back to place her hand on the latch and start to tug it open. "Just knock when you're ready to come back in!"

He spared a moment to wonder just _how_ he was supposed to knock with his arms full of baby, but he lost the chance to ask the question as he was spotted as he stepped through the door, a loud voice booming down the hall with a guttural cry of " _HEY!_ " and several echoing yells. Percy smartly moved against the wall and braced himself for the avalanche.

There was, quite literally, a stampede of feet of all shapes and sizes down the hall as the Grand Poobah's shout echoed down the corridor and faded, and within moments Percy was surrounded by the rest of his family, everyone exclaiming over the children and clamoring to see them. Scanlan was trying to tug him down to gnome level, which he refused to move to, Grog was leaning over Tary and nearly squashing the poor artificer, Zahra had simply _assumed_ a spot to his right with Velora clinging tightly to her belt so she didn’t get trampled in the rush, while Cassandra had claimed the space directly to his left on the basis of being his last true blood relative and actively trying to stamp on Shaun's foot when he didn't want to move from the spot he'd staked. Kynan, Keeper Yennen, Kashaw, Devana and Lawrence fortunately stayed back from the direct fray, though he could see all of them trying to peer over the crush in front of them, and he could see Syldor lurking behind their conversational knot. At least there was a bit of breathing room.

But even with all the activity, someone was missing. "Trinket? Where's Trinket?" he asked, trying to peer around the press of bodies and through the flickering torches. Moving _consistent steady sources of light_ further to the top of his to-do list, he wondered how it was possible to not see a giant brown bear in _armor_ , even in a crowd. "Tri-"

A roar answered him; a small roar, all things considered, though it still made those not very familiar with the bear jump a bit. Kynan immediately stepped back to press against the wall, obviously knowing what was coming and tugging Devana with him, while Syldor and Lawrence yelped and fell to the side as a lumbering form thudded up the hall, bowling over anyone in his way at hearing his name called. Scanlan was almost trampled until Grog grabbed him by the collar to bodily lift him from the bear's path, holding him dangling in midair as Percy turned to Trinket, who pulled to a stop so abruptly his hindquarters skidded out from under him and he sat with a hard _thump_ on the floor. "Yes, everyone, they're here. They're here at last." With one last smile down at his children, he looked up to meet the gazes of his friends, his _family_ , turning to make sure he locked eyes with every single one of them, letting them see the happiness and joy he so rarely displayed. As they began talking around him, voices overlapping and the noise growing, he briefly freed a few fingers to make an arcane gesture, whispering three words in a voice too low for anyone but Zahra to hear. Her sharp look at his face told him immediately she'd noticed what he'd done, but she was also willing to let it play out and not give away the surprise.

As Grog stuck a struggling Scanlan on his shoulder where he would be more comfortable, Percy knelt carefully, holding first one infant, than the other, in front of Trinket's nose for the bear to get a good smell of the newest members of the family. "Everyone," and oh, _he_ was prepared for the slight ringing to his voice that now accompanied his words, the slight rumbling underneath them, but no one else but Zahra was as they all looked at him with shocked eyes, his distaste for using magic well-known to them all. He shifted his attention back to Trinket, since this would be the key moment, the hardest introduction, and he wanted the bear to know just how much this would change things - and just how much it _wouldn't_. "Trinket," he continued, and the bear was staring at him in disbelief that rivaled the humanoids, "this is your new brother and sister - Percival Frederickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo IV, and Elaina Vex'ahlia Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo I."

Velora immediately squealed in happiness, Simon waving next to her ear as though the snake was a visible expression of her excitement. “Oh Percy, you did it!”

"You _talked_ to him! Like, talked, for real, talked!" Scanlan exclaimed, eyes wider than they already had been, which on a gnome meant they practically swallowed his face.

A deep voice he'd never truly _heard_ before but could instantly identify cried out, " _Yooou're speeeaking to meee Percydaaarling!_ "

Percy nearly choked at hearing _that_ version of his name from Trinket - but, well, he _was_ Vex's bond animal. He should probably be grateful that Trinket knew his name at all instead of just thinking of him as 'darling,' considering how often Vex had called him that even before they were together. "That's right - Vex taught me. I wasn't entirely sure it would work, but obviously it did, and now I shall be able to speak to you whenever we wish."

He'd expected to be thanked, to be welcomed, because he'd overcome not being suited to magic at _all_ for the express purposes of making Trinket a more intrinsic part of his family, something he hadn't _needed_ to do but certainly wanted to. And a thanks was all he needed or wanted; learning the spell hadn't been easy, but it also hadn't been unduly difficult, and it would certainly be beneficial in the long run as it would promote communication and offer some help in clearing up some confusions that had arisen because of the presence of a mostly-docile bear. But what he hadn't expected was to be nearly bowled over by a rushing mountain of brown fur and armor, everyone around him yelling in horror and the babies actually snatched from his arms, as Trinket barreled into him hard enough that he was knocked back into the wall hard enough to drive the breath from his lungs and started washing his face with his long tongue and fishy breath. Trying to get a word out around that snout was impossible; he could hear other voices around him yelling " _Trinket_!" "Trinket, no!" "Get off him, you're squashing him!" and the door opening to his left, Keyleth's voice breaking in with a "What's going-?! Trinket!"

Within seconds, her voice came back, that same rumbling and ringing in her words that was in his for the next few minutes, and Percy heard her command "Trinket, _off_! Grog, help!" in a voice that brooked no refusal. In moments, the bear had retreated with a mournful wail and Percy could breathe and sit up fully again, removing his glasses to wipe the bear slobber off with his shirttail before perching them on his nose once more. Keyleth, Velora, and Grog, with Scanlan still on his shoulder, all had their hands on the edges of Trinket's armor, clearly having been the ones to tug the bear off him, and between them Trinket himself looked as sad as it was possible for a bear to look, staring back and forth between the two of them with an expression that almost screamed ' _whyyyyy_?' Cassandra and Zahra both had a baby each in their arms, standing well back of the fray, while Shaun grabbed his hand to help pull him to his feet and Tary produced a handkerchief for him to clean himself up with. As he mopped his face for the second time in less than five minutes, Keyleth continued to lecture the overenthusiastic bear. "Trinket, you can't do that!"

" _Buuut heee spoooke to meee!_ " The sadness in Trinket's voice was unmistakable, and Percy felt momentarily heartbroken at having denied him his pleasure. " _Percydaaarling learned to speeeak for meee aaand it's goood beeecause he's familyyy._ "

"It was _very_ nice of Percy to learn to speak to you, but you need to remember that people aren't as tough as you are, okay?"

If a bear could pout, that was exactly what Trinket was doing now. " _Okaaay_."

"And Trinket, you have to be especially careful now," Percy broke in after he was more or less pulled together once more. " _I_ wasn't hurt, but you came _very_ close to hurting the babies."

A low, mournful wail split the air as the bear keened in something that was... close to horror? Yes, yes, that was it exactly. Trinket, for as intelligent as he was, was still a bear. He didn't understand that human children were fragile and defenseless whereas a bear cub could likely have withstood that charge with little more than a bruise or two. He'd never spent an extended amount of time around tiny children, not even Zahra and Kash's. He'd learn - he was clearly already learning as the impact of Percy's words hit him - but there would definitely be a period of adjustment. " _Iii diiid_?"

"It's all right, you were excited. You simply need to be careful - they're very delicate. See?" Reaching to the right, he took his son ("Freddie, so we don't confuse the two of you") from Zahra and held him close to the bear's nose. Trinket leaned forward so the black pad was almost touching the blanket and sniffed deeply once, twice, three times, and then a fourth for good measure.

"If you've got this, Percy, I'll go tell Vex everything's all right," Keyleth whispered in his ear as he heard his wife's voice drift through the open door, unable to make out the exact words through the press of bodies around him.

He nodded at her, giving her a small, lopsided smile as he did, whispering back. “I didn’t think that was the sort of rescue I’d need, but thank you for being prompt. It’s fine now.” Keyleth chuckled in return, pressed another kiss to his cheek, and then retreated into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

" _Heee's sooo smaaall._ "

Trinket sounded just as full of wonder as Percy himself had been when Freddie was placed in his arms. As he still was. He smiled at the coincidence. "Exactly so. His sister is as well. So you need to be careful of them, and guard them even more fiercely than you guard me. Even more fiercely than Vex. She can protect herself," he reminded Trinket at the flash of rebellion in the bear's eyes, which faded somewhat at his words. "These two won't be able to for a very long time."

" _Okaaay_ ," Trinket accepted, still clearly a bit unhappy with the idea that he needed to protect anyone _more_ than Vex, but willing to go along with it for now. Percy beckoned to Cassanda, and she stepped up to present Elaina to Trinket, who gave her the same deep sniff he'd given her brother, and Percy hoped that meant that he was memorizing their scents and would always be able to find them in the future.

A chuckle to his left pulled his attention, and he turned to face the happy and slightly cocky smile of Shaun as he raised a hand to pat him on the shoulder. "Well, that was certainly exciting," the wizard's expressive voice beamed out. "But it looks like you tamed a bear! All in one piece again, Percival? In a fit state to tell us why you chose those names? They seem like quite the mouthfuls to hang on such little heads."

A snort of laughter escaped Percy's throat; leave it to Shaun to note the same thing he'd wondered many a time in his life, and that he knew the rest of Vox Machina had wondered but had never truly asked. "Tradition, mostly, but there are some new elements. Elements I want to become new traditions in Whitestone, to replace those that have outgrown their use." He found Cassandra's eyes with his and smiled; she smiled in return, glancing down at her new niece, already the same light of love in her eyes as was in his and Vex's. A slight movement at the corner of his eye drew his attention to Syldor down the hall, his wife now beside him and holding his hand, and he held the elven noble’s gaze for a moment, then two, before the ambassador nodded, his face full of something Percy couldn’t quite identify but was obviously solemn. Percy turned back to the children before him, yet another smile coming over his features as he felt his makeshift, ramshackle little family expanding once again, their bonds growing tighter even as their boundaries grew. He may have lost one family almost completely, but the bonds he’d forged with this collection of misfits felt more real than anything he’d experienced in his life.

"If you're ready, I'll tell you all about them."

**Author's Note:**

> So obviously this is the result of me going "Wait... why _can't_ people learn spells outside their class, at least if they're not too difficult?" The whole "power comes from different places and not all people can access all places" is a good reason, but for a spell pretty much fueled by _nature_ I think it makes sense that more people than the obvious can learn it if they put the work into it. I found it very heartwarming to imagine Percy learning to speak to Trinket, and then it just begged to be written. It became a semi-reflection on the team and their friends as a family unit just because... well, that's what I always seem to end up writing, and I'll likely never stop. I love Found Family way, way, _way_ too much to ever give it up.


End file.
